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maltatoday | SUNDAY • 18 FEBRUARY 2024 4 ALMANAC My essentials JES CAMILLERI 59. Workplace trainer and coach I graduated as an architect but soon found myself in various positions of management which is probably how I now find myself training and coaching others in various management skills. Two things have remained constant throughout; my passion for music and theatre, an area where I am still involved in both as an actor and occasional script writer. 4 5 1. Book 2. Film 3. Internet / TV 4. Music 5. Place I'VE been reading up quite a lot about AI as part of a theatre project I am re- searching and in particular I was fascinated by a blog post by Charles Babour ti- tled 'Irony machine: Why Are AI Researchers Teach- ing Computers To Recog- nise Irony?'. In it he posits that despite the great ad- vances in AI, computers still struggle with detect- ing irony. Irony it turns out relies on the distinction between external behav- iours and internal beliefs and that is one very impor- tant facet of being human. I'M looking forward to watching The Smile live in March. It is a side pro- ject of two members of the well-known group, Radio- head. I have been playing their latest album 'Wall Of Eyes' on repeat. I find their music fascinating with its mix of styles and themes but, possibly I just find the idea of taking ar- tistic risks alluring. Rather than flogging their Radio- head brand to death (a la U2 for example) they just initiate new projects every few years. That in itself is worth my attention. THERE are so many beau- tiful places I've visited and many more that I would love to visit but there's also a spot in our garden where I can retreat every now and then and switch off immediately. It's between an orange tree and a pomegranate tree and their branches provide just the right amount of enclosure to feel as though they are en- veloping you. Sometimes it is enough. I read a lot of non-fiction books that help me with my work as a trainer and coach and one book that has been particu- larly useful is a book by Peter Bregman and Howie Jacobsen titled You Can Change Other People'. It's a great resource for coaches, parents and lead- ers of every kind who would like to help others reach their potential by helping them de- tect and change unhelpful be- haviours and thought patterns without necessarily resorting to giving advice. I recently watched Wes An- derson's Roald Dahl shorts where he adapts some of the great author's short stories. I was particularly captivated by The Swan, a film based on one of Dahl's earliest stories. The story revolves around the terrible bullying of a young boy by two older boys who can only be described as two psychopaths-in-waiting. It's a terrifying tale told bril- liantly by one of the masters of modern cinema applying a very theatrical approach to his artform. I recommend all the shorts, but this one stands out for me. Compiled by Laura Calleja suggestions by email lcalleja@mediatoday.com 1 This page is supported by Arts Council Malta 2 3